Workmen's advocate., 1887-05-14
NEw HAVEN, MAY l4, 1887,
ADVICE FROM THE ENEMY.

ADVICE FROM THE ENEMY.
 The Labor Party very wisely de- mands, among other things, that the people shall own and control the railroads, telegraphs, and other pub- lie means of transportation and transmission of intelligence. This, of course, does not suit the fellows who now own these convenlences, and receive heavy bounties from the profits. The people, having begun to think over the subject, are fast coming to the conclusion that the demands of the Labor Party must be compiled with, and as 1t has not yet come to the pass that the people may be shot down for voting as they think proper, the capitalist gang must needs find some other means of preventing the consummation of the reforms demanded. Force being for the nonce out of the question, recourse is had to sophlstry, and the daily newspapers, winch the people take for the sake of the news, are used to convey the sophistical Gar guments" of the railroad kings to the people.
 Thus the New York Herdld, one of the ring of capitalstc sheets, comes out with long and windy editorial upon the great danger that threatens the working people in the event of their owning the rail road and telegraph lines. Here is q small dose of the precious pap;
 "We see that the United Labor Party. in issuing call for State convention, has laid down d platform of principles, on which action is to be taken. One of the blanks in this platform is that all the railroads and telegraphs of the country should be managed by the government, and the reason given therefor is that the people will be better and more Cheaply served.
 "We feel constrained to say an honest word about the matter because in our judgment it would be a grave blunder to advocate anything of the kind. ltwould imperil our institutions and injure the working classes more than any one else You see. gentlemen. We are perfectly frank. Among friends who desire to ac- complish common good, frankness Is a virtue"
 This "frankness" Is truly refresh ing. 1t amounts almost to mpu- dence, and is, to say the least, an in- suit to the intelligence of the work ingmen readers of the Herald. What a terrible catastrophe, it would be, indeed, if the working people owned the railroads :, Our "institu- tions" would be imperilled. Let us see how the willy scribe proves his position:
 What do you suppose would happen if the government should take charge of all the railroads and telegraphs? Why the number of offices at its disposal would be doubled, trebled, quintupled That is as plain as a pikestatf At least half million men would be centres of political influence, supporting the ad- ministration, not because it was just and patriotic. but because they drew their salaries from it and would lose their sal aries if it should be defeated. A Pres- dent with an army of half million men all fighting for him, and fighting for their own tenure of office at the same time, would be a sorry spectacle and would usher in an era ominous augury. Good-by to the fundamental principles of the Republic when that change is in augurated. Human nature with such an amount of patronage would be temp ted beyond the power or resistance
 Aha Now We have it. The whole business would be run by the President, and everybody would b,